Little round suns
The narrator compares the gleaming ripe apples to countless little round suns. The narrator says, "They were shiny, ripe and gleaming in the early morning light like countless little round suns." The simile is important because it represents Franz's two sides of life. For instance, the gleaming ripe apples show his current happenings, but readers can tell his future is uncertain. Consequently, the simile compares Franz's current life and the enforceable future.
The seven crosses
The strangeness of the narrator’s countryside trees is compared to seven crosses. The narrator says, "From afar, the seven plane trees looked like seven crosses." The author reveals the implication of this simile to readers at a later stage in the novel. The simile compares the seven prisoners who escape to their respective punishments when the authorities recapture them.
A little flag
Franz's attention to a girl who looks at him with a disfigured eye is likened to a little flag. The narrator says, "She'd hastily pulled a bunch of hair over her left eye. The eye had been disfigured in an accident, and the bunch of hair called attention to it like a little flag rather than hiding it." The simile is noteworthy because it shows Franz's insecurities. Despite the girl looking at Franz with one eye, he feels she sees deep into him with one look.
